


After the Fact

by panther



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-10-18
Packaged: 2018-02-21 15:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2473082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panther/pseuds/panther
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fred dies, George contemplates suicide before deciding to live for the both of them</p>
            </blockquote>





	After the Fact

When Fred dies George thinks about giving up and ending it all. Everyone looks sympathetic and they don't see him as a person anymore. Fred and George, George and Fred. They are a unit and when one is dead people don't see the twin that is left. That is the hardest part of moving on. People won't _let_ him move on. Everyone talks about Fred and for the first couple of years he understands that but after that he starts to feel that they look at him and see a ghost. George doesn't think for one second that Fred would want him to live in mourning. He did that for a few months but after that he realises he has a life, and he is lucky to have it, and he needs to do something with it. 

He starts to change the subject. He knows people think that it is out of pain but it is out of _life_. Fred is gone. Talking won't bring him back. Making their business a success honours him and George is damn sure that is what he is going to do. He starts to avoid people that talk about Fred. Again, they think the wrong thing but George talks to Harry and learns to deal with it. If anyone is an expert in avoiding a subject it is his brother. Years have passed and still people want to know about the end of the war. 

He doesn't talk about Fred and it isn't because he has issues but because he wants to be seen as George. He gravitates towards people who will respect that and that is how Ron comes to work with him. Harry invests more in the store and never says a word about his twin, just urges him to speak to Angelina who keeps talking about him. Dinner always has an extra portion at Harry and Ginny's house on a Friday and George often appears saying he is there for Teddy. Slowly but surely be builds a life as a person and not a twin. 

At no point it is easy but post war life isn't easy for anyone and he keeps telling himself that, and he tells anyone who questions him on it too. His mother wants him to see a Mind Healer but George is adamant that he won't. He is adamant that the only way he can adjust to life without Fred is to live it. Sure, sometimes he looks for Fred and he isn't there and sometimes he pauses thinking Fred will finish his sentence but he knows Fred it dead. He knows he will learn to live with it. It is not easy and sometimes he goes home and he cries but looks of pity won't help and they won't keep their dream alive either. He honours Fred by living and putting other joke shops across Europe out of business. He honours Fred by striving every day to live the life that Fred could never have.


End file.
